THE CHRONOLOGY OF MONKS MOUND

Abstract

Monks Mound is the largest single Native American construction in North America. The mound sits at the center of the Cahokia site, and interpretations of its construction and use are fundamental for understanding how Mississippian peoples created mounds and landscapes. In the past, researchers speculated that Monks Mound was both one of the oldest and longest-lived monuments at Cahokia. Using a Bayesian computer model that incorporates both archaeological information and radiocarbon dates, I argue the mound is younger and was built more rapidly than previously thought. The mound likely was built in two very rapid efforts spanning fewer than twenty years. This analysis shows Cahokian society could mobilize vast quantities of labor for short periods, which may have inhibited institutionalized, transgenerational sociopolitical hierarchies.     

Building Monks Mound,Cahokia, Illinois,a.d. 800–1400

Abstract

Cahokia (a.d. 800–1400), located near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, was the largest settlement in ancient North America. Monks Mound occupies the center of Cahokia and provides both a modern and ancient focal point for the site. Past investigations of Monks Mound explored issues of mound chronology and use. Recent soil coring around the perimeter clarifies the geological context and degree of preparation necessary before the mound was built. The results suggest that the mound is not optimally positioned for stability and its location may ultimately accelerate deterioration. Moreover, evaluation of the mound features and fill indicates that maximization of the geotechnical potential of sediments was not a primary concern for the Cahokians. Although poorly engineered relative to modern standards, the suitability of the mound as a platform may have been secondary to other design choices made while building the largest single mound in ancient North America.     

THE BILTMORE MOUND AND HOPEWELLIAN MOUND USE IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS

Abstract

Biltmore Mound, located on the Swannanoa River in Asheville, North Carolina, was constructed over a Connestee phase habitation, the earliest evidence dating to about A.D. 300. Mound construction began sometime between A.D. 400 and 550, with the second to last mound stage constructed about A.D. 580–600. Because of the diverse contexts and the excellent preservation of faunal remains, we are able to provide some insights into Connestee ritualism at Biltmore Mound. The Biltmore Mound was a platform used to support large public structures for ritual and ceremonial activities. It was constructed of varying colored and textured soils from a variety of source areas that arguably had symbolic importance. The mound was primarily built out (rather than up) with several mantles that may have comprised a complete ritual cycle of mound construction.     

The Construction and Use of Cahokia’s Grand Plaza

Abstract

Excavations were conducted in 1997 and 2004 along a 1200 m-long waterline corridor through the middle of the central plaza at Cahokia, the largest and possibly earliest Mississippian period (A.D. 1050–1350) population center in North America. These excavations provide a unique window into previously unknown aspects of the construction and use history of this singular monumental space. Built as the centerpiece of Cahokia’s city plan in the middle of the 11th century A.D., the plaza appears to have been more spacious than the most generous previous estimate. The labor needed to build one-quarter to one-third of this plaza may have exceeded 10,000 person-days. Once built, evidence points to the possible existence of a gallery of upright posts and small buildings in front of Monks Mound, the largest earthen pyramid in the center of the site complex. By the 13th century, domestic buildings appear to have lined the plaza edges.     

OYSTER DEMOGRAPHICS AND THE CREATION OF COASTAL MONUMENTS AT ROBERTS ISLAND MOUND COMPLEX,FLORIDA

Abstract

Anthropogenic coastal landscapes often incorporate shell, a durable remnant of subsistence activity. Collection, consumption, and even feasting can thus contribute to histories of site formation and mound construction. This research assesses how oyster consumption related to the creation of Mound A, a shell mound at the Roberts Island Shell Mound Complex in Citrus County, Florida, is differentiated from the instances of oyster consumption that resulted in the midden constituting the rest of the island. I compare the size of shell remains from mound and off-mound midden contexts to assess variation in the sizes represented across the samples, stratigraphic variation within each context, and evidence for directional change indicative of over-exploitation. I identify a relationship of dependence between shell size and stratigraphic depth in off-mound samples that does not appear in mound samples, suggesting a relatively short period of time for the accumulation of mound deposit oyster shells. The findings of this study point to mound construction at Roberts Island Shell Mound Complex as a distinct and deliberate activity, with the construction event likely sharing importance with the community aggregation and consumption that facilitated it.     

Mound ZZl,Nixtun-Ch'ich', Petén,Guatemala: Rescue Operations at a Long-Lived Structure in the Maya Lowlands

Abstract

Mound ZZl, located on the tip of the peninsular portion of the large lowland Maya site of Nixtun-Ch’ich’ in Petén, Guatemala, was investigated in 2007 during a salvage operation. An axial trench revealed a long sequence of activity in the area, beginning before 1000 B. C. and extending into the early 18th century. Early platform construction was accompanied by feasting and smashing of Middle Preclassic (1000—400 B.C.) pottery in a termination and/or dedication rite. The mound grew through the construction and reconstruction of numerous platforms and structures—and further episodes of termination and dedication—that primarily extended it laterally, rather than vertically. The location of Mound ZZl and its features—reincorporation of Middle Preclassic fill materials; secondary burials; clay figurines; protection by a large wall-ditch complex; pecked plaster symbols; and the presence of a Spanish mission church—suggest that it was a key civic-ceremonial component of the region's sacred landscape for nearly three thousand years.     

THE 1974–75 EXCAVATIONS AT MOUND BOTTOM,A PALISADED MISSISSIPPIAN CENTER IN CHEATHAM COUNTY,TENNESSEE

Abstract

Mound Bottom (40CH8) is a large complex of 14 prehistoric mounds located in a horseshoe-shaped bend of the Harpeth River, a tributary of the Cumberland, in Cheatham County, Tennessee. It, together with another mound group 3 km to the south known as the Pack site (40CH1), received sporadic archaeological attention during the first half of the twentieth century, but it was not until 1974 that systematic work was carried out at either mound center. Over portions of that and the following year, Mound Bottom was mapped in detail and excavations were carried out to document the range in variability of mound construction and community structure. Six mounds were tested and 19 houses were partially or totally excavated. House types included both single-set-post structures and wall-trench structures. Calibrated radiocarbon dates from Mound Bottom span about a 600-year period from the eighth through the fourteenth centuries.     

Rare animals at a Mississippian chiefly compound: the Irene Mound site (9CH1), Georgia,USA

ABSTRACT

The Irene Mound site (9CH1) was a Middle and Late Mississippian site (ca. AD 1150–1450) situated on a bluff overlooking the lower Savannah River, Georgia (USA), a few kilometers upstream from the Atlantic Ocean. The 2.4 ha site consisted of a sequence of superimposed layers referred to as temple mounds, as well as a burial mound, a rotunda, a few residences, and other structures. It is interpreted as the residence of a chiefly lineage. The presence of animals rare or absent in other precolonial coastal assemblages distinguishes the Irene assemblage from others along the coast. Some of the animals exhibit atypical, even dangerous, behavior, others have elaborate feathers or fine fur, and many are notable coastal fishers. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) specimens in the assemblage are dominated by portions from the body. Irene may provide a zooarchaeological standard for assessing evidence of site functions and status in other coastal assemblages.     

CONTINUING THE RESEARCH: ARCHAEOGEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE BATTLE MOUND SITE (3LA1) IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY,ARKANSAS

Abstract

The continuing use of archaeogeophysical methods at the Battle Mound site (3LA1) exemplifies the power of geophysics as a non-invasive, preservation-oriented, and economically feasible way to pursue the exploration of settlement patterning at the Middle and Late Caddo (ca. A.D. 1200–1680) mound site. Using these methods, a 1-ha (2.47 acres) area directly east of the large mound was surveyed using magnetic gradiometry and concatenated to the existing survey area. Results from the 1-ha survey provide further elucidation of the spatial structure and internal organization of the Caddo Indian occupation at the Battle Mound site.     

Middle Woodland Hopewellian Cache Blades: Blanks or Finished Tools?

Abstract

Cache blades are usually interpreted as blanks that are curated for later production of finished tools or projectile points. A cache of 54 leaf-shaped blades was recovered from Middle Woodland Hopewellian Burial 14 at Sugar Run Mound in northwestern Pennsylvania. Macro and microscopic examination of the cache blades indicates they were used as tools prior to use as burial goods. The study shows that at least the Sugar Run Mound cache was not merely a batch of blanks awaiting further reduction into finished tools.     

Serpent Mound in its Woodland Period Context: Second Rejoinder to Lepper

The Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, is probably the most widely recognized effigy mound in the world. Opinions differ, however, as to who built the effigy and when. Currently there are two conflicting positions. According to Lepper and colleagues (this volume and elsewhere) the effigy was built by people of the Fort Ancient culture circa AD 1070. According to the present author and colleagues, recently obtained radiocarbon dates and other data indicate that Serpent Mound was built much earlier, by people of the Adena culture, circa 320 BC.

In this article, evidence is presented that corroborates the earlier published radiocarbon dates suggestive of an Adena-era construction. This evidence includes a review of findings that real serpents were sometimes buried with Adena and Hopewell people and consideration of a relational complex reaching back to the Early Woodland—wherein the Great Serpent of Native American legend is associated with the journey of the deceased person’s soul, the star constellation Scorpius, and the Lowerworld. Together, these data provide an Early Woodland cultural and interpretive context for Serpent Mound and further corroborate the Adena-era radiocarbon dates for its construction.     

The Case of the Caldwell Mound: A Woodland Period Mound in the Central Scioto River Valley

ABSTRACT

This article presents a reconstruction and analysis of the Caldwell Mound located in the central Scioto River valley of southern Ohio. The mound contained a log tomb, at least four burials, and associated funerary objects. Four AMS radiocarbon dates place the Caldwell Mound within the last century BC and first century AD, and the mound contains evidence of practices historically associated with “Adena” and “Hopewell.” Few other records exist from this period in the region despite it experiencing perhaps some of the most dramatic socioreligious transformations in precolumbian North America. This analysis documents early evidence for the diversification and segregation of leadership roles based on the interpretation of three buried individuals. It also demonstrates the utility and efficacy of working with amateur-produced records and collections, even when incomplete, to reconstruct and glean insight from important Woodland period sites.     

Terra incognita: terrestrial LiDAR documentation of Mound A at Kolomoki (9ER1)

ABSTRACT

The manifest representation of space and place is essential to good archaeology. Our ability to document and relate these concepts, projected into the past and reflected in the present, has increased tremendously with the expansion and availability of technology. We present recent efforts to further document a well-known place in the cultural landscape: the Kolomoki site in southwestern Georgia, occupied primarily during the Middle and Late Woodland periods. Specifically, we summarize older investigations of Mound A, then present the results of recent terrestrial LiDAR documentation. Our work substantiates the claim that Mound A was the largest Woodland-period mound in Eastern North America in terms of overall volume.     

Recovering the Forgotten Woodland Mound Excavations at Garden Patch (8DI4)

Forty-five years ago Timothy Thompson excavated at two of the six mounds at the Garden Patch site but results were never reported. We assembled data from Thompson's work and enhanced them with new test pits at Mound IV and re-excavation of a Mound V trench. Mound IV is a natural sand ridge where a village was established early, by the second century A.D. Mound V began as a naturally elevated platform for at least one burial and associated structure during the fourth century A.D. and was then covered by lenses of shell and sand. The construction sequence of Mound V resembles other mounds in the region. These results help illuminate the functions and depositional histories of mounds within Woodland multi-mound centers of the coastal plain while also demonstrating an effective approach to balancing stewardship and new excavations.     

The Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 2003–2005: A Retrospective

Abstract

Archaeologists have long recognized that the Hopewell period was marked by the movement of exotic raw materials and artifacts across the eastern United States. The use of archaeometric techniques to trace the sources of these materials is well established. However, little work has been done on sourcing the pipestone used in Hopewell pipes. In this research we use Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer (PIMA) technology to identify the presence of Minnesota catlinite as a raw material used for pipes recovered from the Tremper Mound (33SC4) caches in the Scioto Valley of Ohio. A new radiocarbon date places the deposition of these caches between B.C. 50 and A.D. 79. The presence of catlinite pipes in Ohio and in Wisconsin, but rarely in Illinois, suggests the existence of a direct west-to-east route from the catlinite quarries through Wisconsin to Ohio. This movement of catlinite appears to have been a short-term Hopewellian event and the material was not used again until late prehistoric times.     

Tremper Mound,Hopewell Catlinite,and Pima Technology

Abstract

Archaeologists have long recognized that the Hopewell period was marked by the movement of exotic raw materials and artifacts across the eastern United States. The use of archaeometric techniques to trace the sources of these materials is well established. However, little work has been done on sourcing the pipestone used in Hopewell pipes. In this research we use Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer (PIMA) technology to identify the presence of Minnesota catlinite as a raw material used for pipes recovered from the Tremper Mound (33SC4) caches in the Scioto Valley of Ohio. A new radiocarbon date places the deposition of these caches between B.C. 50 and A.D. 79. The presence of catlinite pipes in Ohio and in Wisconsin, but rarely in Illinois, suggests the existence of a direct west-to-east route from the catlinite quarries through Wisconsin to Ohio. This movement of catlinite appears to have been a short-term Hopewellian event and the material was not used again until late prehistoric times.     

Evaluating the Reliability of Fluoride Dating at Two Prehistoric Mound Sites in Mississippi

Abstract

Ion-selective electrode fluoride dating is used to address chronological problems at two mound sites located in Mississippi. At the Mississippian period (A.D. 900–1520) Lyon's Bluff site, 220K520, the fluoride content of deer and human bone is compared with radiocarbon dates and stratigraphic levels to evaluate the reliability of the fluoride dating method for understanding relative burial chronology. At a second site, Pocahontas Mound A (22HI500), fluoride content of deer bone is used to corroborate radiocarbon dates and to establish the proper chronology of levels associated with two distinct occupations (Archaic and Coles Creek/Plaquemine) identified in a large midden area. Fluoride analysis also is used to date a second midden area at this site. For Lyon's Bluff; fluoride dates did not correspond with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)-dated burials and midden strata. In contrast, fluoride dating proved very useful in determining chronological placement of midden levels and dating other areas at Pocahontas Mound A. Sample age, site location, soil, and bone preservation are considered as possible causes for the negative results at Lyon's Bluff.     

Site preservation at Gordian,an Iron Age city in Anatolia

Abstract

Since excavations began at the Citadel Mound of Gordion in the 1950s, the site has been exposed to the extreme weather conditions of Central Anatolia. The architectural remains, including a unique palace quarter and citadel, are deteriorating to the extent that the legibility of the site is threatened.

The excavated area within the mound, comprising more than two hectares, is too vast to be covered by protective sheltering given the current budget. Conventional backfilling is also precluded, as this would obscure key topographical elements of the site and distort the stratigraphical context of the city within its surrounding citadel.

To preserve the site under these conditions, a technique of sandbag buttressing and clay capping has been implemented at Gordion. Using locally available materials, this system of interpretive stabilization not only preserves the architecture of the ancient city within its stratigraphical context, but improves the legibility of the site as a whole.     

Collective living and individual identities in late medieval England

ABSTRACT

Late medieval lodgings within secular, vicarial and collegiate complexes provide an example through which the construction and maintenance of collective and individual identities can be perceived. The remains indicate a middle-status group with a well-defined identity emerging in the Late Medieval period who were provided with accommodation reflecting their new stratum in society. The architectural display, or vocabulary, demonstrated a complicated even conflicting narrative to the medieval audience, which we can identify through analysis of their remains.